Netanyahu’s Postwar Plan for Gaza Sparks Rejection and Friction with US
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s postwar plan for the Gaza Strip has been met with swift rejection by Palestinian leaders and has caused friction between Israel and the United States. The plan, which seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in Gaza, goes against Washington’s vision for the war-ravaged enclave.
Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet on Thursday for approval. However, deep disagreements over Gaza’s future have led to increasingly public tensions between Israel and the US, its closest ally. The Biden administration aims for eventual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood, a goal that Netanyahu and his right-wing government vehemently oppose. Instead, Netanyahu’s plan envisions hand-picked Palestinians in Gaza administering the territory.
Cease-fire efforts are also underway, with mediators set to present a new proposal at an upcoming high-level meeting in Paris. The US, Egypt, and Qatar have been working for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza. However, they now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches.
Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remains dire. Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 68 Palestinians, including children and women, overnight and into Friday. Another 24 bodies are still trapped under the rubble. Fidaa Ashour, who lost her sister in a strike in Rafah, expressed frustration, saying “the world does not feel what we are enduring.” In Deir al-Balah, grieving relatives wept over bodies laid out in burial shrouds in the hospital courtyard, while a man cradled a dead infant.
The overall Palestinian death toll since the start of the war has risen to more than 29,500, with close to 70,000 people wounded, according to Gaza health officials. These numbers amount to close to 1.3% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
Netanyahu’s vision for Gaza, although lacking specifics, marks the first time he has presented a formal postwar plan. It reiterates Israel’s determination to crush Hamas, the militant group that took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. While polls indicate that a majority of Palestinians do not support Hamas, the group still has deep roots in Palestinian society. Critics argue that the goal of eliminating Hamas is unattainable.
Netanyahu’s plan calls for freedom of action for Israel’s military across a demilitarized Gaza after the war to counter any security threat. It also proposes the establishment of a buffer zone within Gaza, which is likely to face objections from the US. The plan envisions Gaza being governed by local officials who are not associated with countries or entities that support terrorism and will not receive payment from them. However, it remains unclear if any Palestinians would agree to such sub-contractor roles, as previous attempts to set up hand-picked local Palestinian governing bodies have failed.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, denounced Netanyahu’s plan as “colonialist and racist,” stating that it would amount to Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintained control of access to the territory. The Biden administration, on the other hand, wants to see a reformed Palestinian Authority govern both Gaza and the West Bank as a step toward Palestinian statehood. To persuade Netanyahu to consider this approach, the US has held out the prospect of normalizing ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The war between Israel and Hamas has been ongoing since October 7. The conflict began when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages. A weeklong cease-fire in late November led to the release of over 100 hostages.
Since the start of the war, 29,514 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, with close to 70,000 wounded, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. The ministry states that two-thirds of those killed have been women and children. Israel claims to have killed at least 10,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided specific details. The US has repeatedly urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to civilians, but the daily death toll in Gaza remains relatively constant.
The Israeli offensive has caused immense suffering in Gaza, with approximately 80% of the population displaced, infectious diseases spreading rapidly, and hundreds of thousands of people facing hunger. In the West Bank, two Palestinians killed in an Israeli drone strike were buried in the Jenin refugee camp. The funeral procession saw their bodies wrapped in flags of the militant group Islamic Jihad. Israel claims that one of those killed was previously involved in shooting attacks on Israeli settlements and army posts and was about to carry out another attack when he was